Anti-harassment, Anti-violence and anti-discrimination policy
Updated June 2023
The Toronto Fringe is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination, violence and harassment, where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, can contribute fully and have equal opportunities.
Under the Ontario Human Rights Code, every person has the right to be free from harassment, violence and discrimination. Harassment, violence and discrimination will not be tolerated, condoned or ignored at The Toronto Fringe. If a claim of harassment, violence or discrimination is proven, disciplinary measures will be applied, up to and including termination of employment or in the case of participant or patron, banning from the events presented by The Toronto Fringe.
The Toronto Fringe is committed to a comprehensive strategy to address harassment, violence and discrimination, including:
- providing training and education to make sure everyone knows their rights and responsibilities
- regularly monitoring organizational systems for barriers relating to Code grounds
- providing an effective and fair complaints procedure
- promoting appropriate standards of conduct at all times.
Harassment at The Toronto Fringe is not tolerated. Employees or volunteers who are found to have harassed another individual may be subject to disciplinary action. This policy applies to all current employees of The Toronto Fringe including full and part-time, casual, contract, permanent and temporary employees, and to all persons who attend at any of The Toronto Fringe's workspaces (including without limitation, certain offices, theatres, tents and outdoor spaces), including without limitation, patrons, volunteers, artists and other third party participants, independent contractors, and members of the Board of Directors.
This policy also pertains to any persons who are demonstrating anti-discrimination, violence or harassment and are present at a gathering due to the Toronto Fringe; this includes and is not limited to; the theatres we rent, the Fringe club during the summer, the tent at Next Stage Festival and our Fringe KidsFest Club.
Executive Director (exec@fringeotoronto.com) and the Managing Director (manager@fringetoronto.com) will be responsible for making decisions related to this policy.
Anyone who feels they have been harassed or discriminated against can email either or both at the above emails and know that the information will be treated with the strictest of confidentiality.
If a person would rather remain anonymous we have posted a form that anyone can fill in and return and will only be seen by the above two staff members.
Definitions of Harassment is:
- offending or humiliating someone physically or verbally;
- threatening or intimidating someone; or
- making unwelcome jokes or comments about someone’s race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, disability or pardoned conviction.
Sexual harassment is:
- offensive or humiliating behaviour that is related to a person’s sex;
- behaviour of a sexual nature that creates an intimidating, unwelcome, hostile or offensive work or social environment; or
- behaviour of a sexual nature that could reasonably be thought to put sexual conditions on a person’s job or employment opportunities.
Violent behaviour may include:
- include hitting a worker,
- throwing objects at a worker,
- sexual violence, or threats, whether conveyed verbally, in writing, or through behaviour.
- A customer, client, student, co-worker, supervisor, or a stranger could be violent or threaten to be violent in the workplace.
The Toronto Fringe is responsible for:
- providing all employees and volunteers a harassment-free workplace.
The Managing Director and Executive Director are responsible for:
- the administration of this policy;
- reviewing this policy annually, or as required; and
- making necessary adjustments to ensure that this policy meets the needs of the organization.
They are also responsible for:
- ensuring that this policy is applied in a timely, consistent and confidential manner;
- determining whether or not allegations of harassment are substantiated; and
- determining what corrective action is appropriate where a harassment complaint has been substantiated
Employees/Volunteers are responsible for:
- treating others with respect in the workplace;
- reporting harassment to the Managing Director or Executive Director
- cooperating with a harassment investigation and respecting the confidentiality related to the investigation process;
Employees/Patrons/Artists and Volunteers can expect:
- to be treated with respect in the workplace;
- that reported harassment will be dealt with in a timely, confidential and effective manner;
- to have their rights to a fair process and to confidentiality respected during a harassment investigation; and
- to be protected against retaliation for reporting harassment or cooperating with a harassment investigation.
Procedures for Addressing a Harassment Complaint Filing a Complaint:
- A person may file a harassment complaint by contacting the Managing Director or Executive Director
- The complaint may be verbal or in writing.
- If the complaint is made verbally, the Managing or Executive Director will record the details provided by the person
- The person should be prepared to provide details such as what happened; when it happened; where it happened; how often and who else was present (if applicable). Complaints should be made as soon as possible but no later than within one year of the last incident of perceived harassment, unless there are circumstances that prevented the person from doing so.
- The Managing Director or Executive Director will tell the person that the harassment complaint has been made against, either in writing or in person, that a harassment complaint has been filed. The letter will also provide details of the allegations that have been made against him or her.
- Every effort will be made to resolve harassment complaints within 2 days.
- The Managing Director or Executive Director will advise both parties of the reasons why, if this is not possible. If either party to a harassment complaint believes that the complaint is not being handled in accordance with this policy, he or she should contact the Managing or Executive Director.
Substantiated Complaint
If a harassment complaint is substantiated, the Managing Director or Executive Director will decide what action is appropriate.
Remedies for the person who was harassed may include: an oral or written apology; compensation for lost wages; compensation for any lost employment benefits such as sick leave; and compensation for hurt feelings. Corrective action for the person found to have engaged in harassment may include: a reprimand; a suspension; a transfer; a demotion; and/or dismissal. Both parties to the complaint will be advised, in writing, of the decision.
Other Redress
An employee who is not satisfied with the outcome of the harassment complaint process may file a discrimination complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
Privacy and Confidentiality
All parties to a harassment complaint are expected to respect the privacy and confidentiality of all other parties involved and to limit the discussion of a harassment complaint to those that need to know.
Everyone is expected to uphold this policy and to work together to prevent workplace violence.
The Toronto Fringe and all individuals involved in the harassment complaint process, will comply with all requirements to protect personal information.
The Toronto Fringe will review this policy and procedures on an annual basis, or as required, and will make necessary adjustments to ensure that it meets the needs of all employees.
Enquiries about this policy and related procedures can be made to Laura Paduch, Managing Director, at manager@fringetoronto.com.
ANTI-RACISM, ACCESS, AND EQUITY POLICY
Updated June 2023
ANTI-RACISM
The Toronto Fringe is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination, violence and harassment, where all individuals, regardless of race, are treated with respect and dignity, can contribute fully, and have equal opportunities.
Under the Ontario Human Rights Code, every person has the right to be free from harassment, violence and discrimination. Harassment, violence and discrimination will not be tolerated, condoned or ignored at The Toronto Fringe. If a claim of harassment, violence, or discrimination is proven, disciplinary measures will be applied, up to and including termination of employment, or in the case of participant or patron, banning from the events presented by The Toronto Fringe.
The Toronto Fringe is committed to a comprehensive strategy to address harassment, violence, and discrimination, including:
- providing training and education to make sure everyone knows their rights and responsibilities
- regularly monitoring organizational systems for barriers relating to Code grounds
- providing an effective and fair complaints procedure
- promoting appropriate standards of conduct at all times
Harassment at The Toronto Fringe is not tolerated. Employees or volunteers who are found to have harassed another individual may be subject to disciplinary action. This policy applies to all current employees of The Toronto Fringe including full and part-time, casual, contract, permanent, and temporary employees, and to all persons who attend at any of The Toronto Fringe's workspaces (including without limitation certain offices, theatres, tents and outdoor spaces), including without limitation patrons, volunteers, artists and other third-party participants, independent contractors, and members of the Board of Directors.
This policy also pertains to any persons who are demonstrating anti-discrimination, violence, or harassment and are present at a gathering due to the Toronto Fringe; this includes and is not limited to; the theatres we rent, the POSTSCRIPT Patio, the gathering spaces at the Next Stage Theatre Festival, the Fringe KidsFest Club, and all other events and spaces engaged or hosted by the Toronto Fringe.
Executive Director (exec@fringeotoronto.com) and the Managing Director (manager@fringetoronto.com) will be responsible for making decisions related to this policy.
For more information, please see the Anti-Harassment, Anti-Racist and Anti-Discrimination Policy.
For full steps on how to file a complaint, please see the Toronto Fringe Complaint Policy.
The Toronto Fringe will review this policy and procedures on an annual basis, or as required, and will make necessary adjustments to ensure that it meets the needs of all employees.
Enquiries about this policy and related procedures can be made to Laura Paduch, Managing Director, at manager@fringetoronto.com.
ACCESS
The Toronto Fringe is committed to establishing and prioritizing accessibility in all areas of our organization.
The Metcalf Foundation supported Toronto Fringe’s organization-wide growth with a three-year Creative Strategies Incubator grant, which began in 2017 and finished in 2020. The grant allowed Toronto Fringe to invest meaningful resources into providing, increasing, and improving accessibility at our major events, including the Toronto Fringe Festival and the Next Stage Theatre Festival.
We continue to maintain the following policies regarding accessibility:
At The Festivals
- All venues the Fringe uses for our festivals and special events, including the Fringe offices, are physically accessible, including washrooms and backstage areas in the theatres. If a section of a venue is not accessible, we work within the space to make it accessible, including installing temporary ramps or lifts and shifting the stage and audience configurations as required.
- Artists in our festivals are supported and encouraged to offer accessibility measures as part of their show runs, including offering ASL and/or Deaf interpretation, relaxed performances, touch tours and/or touch books, audio description, and incorporating a tactile body immersion (TBI) chair.
- The Fringe engages Accessibility Coordinators to assist participants in our festivals, and oversee the general festival accessibility and best practices.
- Intentionally partner with Disability-led organizations to present the work of Mad, Deaf, and Disability-identified artists in our festivals.
- Continuing to research and implement more inclusive accessibility measures in digital interactions and events.
- Improving accessibility for our participants.
Year-round
- All public documents for the general public and artists are tested and adjusted to be screen-reader friendly. Our website is also designed to be screen-reader friendly, and all images are captioned.
- Fringe social media includes descriptions of images, and captions for all videos and live streams.
- All public events hosted by the Fringe offer ASL and/or Deaf interpretation, including festival opening ceremonies, awards nights, and our annual Fringe lottery party.
- The Fringe offers consultancy services to other festivals in Toronto and beyond to share our accessibility learnings.
- The Fringe offers rentals of our audio description equipment and TBI chair at a fair rate to other organizations in Toronto.
- Work with like-minded organizations to improve the distribution of information about accessible performances and opportunities for artists who are Deaf, Mad, and those with disabilities throughout Ontario.
- Revisiting best practices around language for accessibility.
- Creating more opportunities for people with disabilities, Deaf, and Mad individuals to get involved with our organization in all capacities.
For more detailed information on Toronto Fringe’s Access Plan, click here.
EQUITY
The Toronto Fringe acknowledges that the history of the Fringe movement is rooted in a Canadian arts ecology that was built on whiteness and systemically prioritized white voices and audiences. To continue to live up to our core values and founding belief that every voice has an equal right to be heard, we must actively disarm conventionally accepted oppressive practices, and counteract systems of white supremacy that impact our sector.
In 2020/2021 Toronto Fringe underwent an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion audit which resulted in a series of recommendations. The audit and action items will ensure the Fringe is better equipped to address issues faced by equity seeking groups. These recommendations were included in the most recent 3-year strategic plan, which was created in Fall 2021 and will be implemented during this three-year period.
The Toronto Fringe has already started implementing recommendations made in this audit, including:
- In the Toronto Fringe Lottery draw, a two-phase lottery structure was implemented in 2021. This two-phase lottery reserves at least 50% of lottery slots for artists who are Black, Indigenous, or Persons of Colour.
- In all hiring, festival and community program applications the Toronto Fringe includes the optional opportunity for voluntary self-identification, for you to share with us any important identities you hold that shape your identity/experience in a way you would like known.
- The Toronto Fringe is committed to employment equity and diversity and encourages applicants from equity-seeking communities and intersecting identities to apply for available positions.
- Any involved in the Festival who require accommodation for their involvement may make a request for accommodation by contacting the Managing Director. This includes, but is not limited to: artists, community program participants, and anyone applying for an available position
- Develop new relationships with diverse media outlets and journalists
- Free mentorship opportunities available for fringe participants, providing additional support to newer producers
Good Neighbour Policy
Updated June 2023
The Toronto Fringe runs two festivals, the Toronto Fringe Festival and the Next Stage Theatre Festival, and takes over venues throughout the City of Toronto. Our intention for both festivals is to engage with and incorporate ourselves into the communities that we are producing in, meaning that everyone is welcome to our events and we do not want our festivals to impose on or inconvenience our neighbours.
The Toronto Fringe Festival’s festival hub and outdoor patio, POSTSCRIPT, is located at the TRANZAC Club at 292 Brunswick Avenue and situated among residential, retail, and office buildings. In an effort to minimize disruption to our neighbours and to mitigate any potential noise issues, we have several practices in place at our patio.
The Fringe runs annually for 12 days in July (2022 dates are July 5-16), with set up taking place in the days prior and take down taking place in the days following. POSTSCRIPT is open 5pm-2am on weekdays, and 12pm-2am on weekends, and is free and open to everyone.
The site is comprised of our main festival box office, an outdoor stage, food vendors, arts and crafts vendors, and a full service bar. The stage programming features early evening outdoor entertainment ranging from family style entertainers, local indie bands, comedy nights, and artist run cabarets.
All amplified noise will be finished before 11pm nightly. Subwoofers before that time will only be used if completely necessary. Sound levels will be checked consistently in the evenings, and will be monitored every 30 minutes after 11pm in order to abide by the Municipal Code of Toronto Chapter 241 (noise bylaw), which states that noise must remain under 85dB as measured from the surrounding sidewalk.
A trained and licensed security professional will be posted at every entrance/exit of the patio and will inform patrons to exit quietly and not gather at the exits.
The Fringe is committed to a respectful and productive relationship with the surrounding residents’ associations at all of our venues. We welcome feedback from the community at any point during our time there.
During the festival any security or noise concerns can be communicated to the Fringe by email which will be monitored 24/7 of the festival at general@fringetoronto.com.
Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to all of the products, services and website offered by the Fringe of Toronto Theatre Festival (the “Toronto Fringe”). Sometimes, we may post product specific privacy notices other materials to explain our products in more detail.
By submitting personal information to the Toronto Fringe, you:
- Consent to the Toronto Fringe collecting, using and disclosing that personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy or otherwise with your consent or as permitted or required by law; and
- Acknowledge and consent that the Toronto Fringe may retain service providers to perform certain services and that in the event that a service provider is located in the United States, personal information may be processed and stored in the United States and that United States governments, courts or law enforcement or regulatory agencies may be able to obtain disclosure of personal information through the laws of the United States.
Ultimately, it is up to you whether you want to provide any personal information to the Toronto Fringe. An individual may withdraw his or her consent at any time (subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice) by notifying the Toronto Fringe. However, if enough personal information is withheld, the Toronto Fringe may be unable to provide services.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please feel free to contact us through our website (www.fringetoronto.com) or write to us at:
Toronto Fringe Festival
204-688 Richmond Street West, Toronto, Ontario M6J 1C5
Canada
Information we collect and how we use it
We may collect the following types of information:
- Information you provide – When you sign up to purchase tickets or to be an active member of the Toronto Fringe, we ask you for personal information. “Personal information” is information that you provide to us, which personally identifies you, such as your name, email address or billing information, or other data which can be reasonably linked to such information by the Toronto Fringe. Personal information does not include aggregate information that cannot be associated with a specific individual, and in certain jurisdictions, it may also exclude business contact information. We may combine the information you submit under your account with information from other Toronto Fringe services or third parties in order to provide you with a better experience and to improve the quality of our services. For certain services, we may give you the opportunity to opt out of combining such information.
- Cookies – When you visit the Toronto Fringe website (the “Website”), we may send one or more cookies to your computer or other device. We may use cookies to improve the quality of our service, including for storing user preferences, improving search results, and tracking user trends, such as how people search.
- Log information – When you access Toronto Fringe services, our servers automatically record information that your browser sends whenever you visit a website. These “server logs” may include information such as your web request, your interaction with a service, Internet Protocol address, browser type, browser language, the date and time of your request and one or more cookies that may uniquely identify your browser or your account.
- User communications – When you send email or other communications to the Toronto Fringe, we may retain those communications in order to process your inquiries, respond to your requests and improve our services. If you send and receive SMS messages to or from one of our services that provides SMS functionality, we may collect and maintain information associated with those messages, such as the phone number, the wireless carrier associated with the phone number, the content of the message, and the date and time of the transaction. We may use your email address to communicate with you about our services.
- Third Party Applications – The Toronto Fringe may make available third party applications, such as gadgets or extensions, through its services. The information collected by the Toronto Fringe when you enable a third party application is processed under this Privacy Policy. Information collected by the third party application provider is governed by their privacy policies.
- Other sites – This Privacy Policy applies to Toronto Fringe services only. We do not exercise control over sites that include Toronto Fringe applications, products or services, or sites hyperlinked from within our various services. These other sites may place their own cookies or other files on your computer, collect data or solicit personal information from you. Your use of those sites is subject to the privacy policies of those other sites. Even if the third party is affiliated with the Toronto Fringe, the Toronto Fringe has no control over these linked sites, each of which may (or may not) have their own privacy policies and practices in place. The Toronto Fringe has no responsibility or liability for these independent policies or practices or for the content of such websites. These linked sites are for your convenience and you access them at your own risk. Nonetheless, the Toronto Fringe seeks to protect the integrity of its website and the links placed upon it and therefore it requests any feedback not only on its own site, but for sites it links to as well (including if a specific link does not work).
- Furthermore, if you connect to the Toronto Fringe website through another site, such as Facebook, the Toronto Fringe is in no way responsible for nor able to protect any personal information and privacy you communicate to that site.
- General purposes – The Toronto Fringe collects uses and discloses personal information as follows:
- to administer and service our business relationship with you and to provide you with requested services;
- to enforce your obligations under your agreements with the Toronto Fringe;
- to offer you additional products and service that may be of interest to you;
- to confirm your eligibility for contests and special offerings;
- if required, to provide the various associations (e.g., Visa, MasterCard) with certain reporting with respect to our business;
- to investigate suspicious activities in relation to your account;
- when required or permitted by law; and
- otherwise with your consent
The Toronto Fringe does not license, sell, rent or trade your personal information to other parties unless it is necessary to provide you with requested services and you authorize or consent to the disclosure, or when such disclosure is otherwise described in this Privacy Policy or permitted or required by law.
In addition to the above, we may use the information we collect to:
- Provide, maintain, protect, and improve our services (including advertising services) and develop new services; and
- Protect the rights or property of the Toronto Fringe or our users.
The Toronto Fringe processes personal information on our servers in Canada.
Information sharing
The Toronto Fringe only shares personal information with other companies or individuals outside of the Toronto Fringe in the following limited circumstances:
- We have your consent. We require opt-in consent for the sharing of any sensitive personal information. “Sensitive personal information” includes information we know to be related to confidential medical information, racial or ethnic origins, political or religious beliefs or sexuality and tied to personal information.
- We provide such information to affiliated companies (if any) or other trusted businesses or persons for the purpose of processing personal information on our behalf. We require that these parties agree to process such information based on our instructions and in compliance with this Privacy Policy and any other appropriate confidentiality and security measures.
- We have a good faith belief that access, use, preservation or disclosure of such information is reasonably necessary to (a) satisfy any applicable law, regulation, legal process or enforceable governmental request, (b) enforce applicable Terms of Use, including investigation of potential violations thereof, (c) detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues, or (d) protect against harm to the rights, property or safety of the Toronto Fringe, its users or the public as required or permitted by law.
The Toronto Fringe may provide some information received from you to outside organizations as necessary to provide requested services. Such organizations may include the various credit or debit card associations (including without limitation Visa and MasterCard) or credit card processors.
Our contracts with such third parties and affiliates require that:
- any information that we provide to them is held strictly confidential; and
- any information provided to them may be used solely for the purposes of providing the services that they have been contracted with to provide.
The Toronto Fringe may transfer personal information to outside agents, mandatories or service providers that perform services on our behalf (for example emailing houses) in which case we use similar contractual or other means to ensure that your personal information is protected and not used or disclosed for any purposes other than as directed by the Toronto Fringe.
Information security
The Toronto Fringe takes appropriate security measures to protect against unauthorized access to or unauthorized alteration, disclosure or destruction of data. These include internal reviews of our data collection, storage and processing practices and security measures, including appropriate encryption and physical security measures to guard against unauthorized access to systems where we store personal data.
The Toronto Fringe restricts access to personal information to Toronto Fringe employees, contractors and agents who need to know that information in order to process it on our behalf. These individuals are bound by confidentiality obligations and may be subject to discipline, including termination and criminal prosecution, if they fail to meet these obligations.
The Toronto Fringe may store your personal information in an electronic file or a physical file. The Toronto Fringe has implemented reasonable technological, organizational and physical security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, improper use, and accidental destruction or loss. The physical file containing your personal information will be stored at the Toronto Fringe’s premises, or if required, at an offsite storage facility. The electronic file containing your personal information will be stored on a secure network. Authorized employees, mandataries and agents of the Toronto Fringe who have a legitimate purpose for accessing the information and require it in the course of their duties will have access to your personal information. There is restricted access to the Toronto Fringe’s offices and the Toronto Fringe’s computer server.
The Toronto Fringe uses Secure Socket Layer and 128 bit encryption technologies to increase security levels when you visit certain secured areas of the Toronto Fringe website. Encryption causes any data you provide to be altered into an unreadable format to prevent unauthorized access. In addition, Patrons are also required to use a user ID and password to enter certain secured areas of the Toronto Fringe website.
Accessing and updating personal information
When you use Toronto Fringe services, we make good faith efforts to provide you with access to your personal information and either to correct this data if it is inaccurate or to delete such data at your request if it is not otherwise required to be retained by law or for legitimate business purposes. We ask individual users to identify themselves and the information requested to be accessed, corrected or removed before processing such requests, and we may decline to process requests that are unreasonably repetitive or systematic, require disproportionate technical effort, jeopardize the privacy of others, or would be extremely impractical (for instance, requests concerning information residing on backup tapes), or for which access is not otherwise required. In any case where we provide information access and correction, we perform this service free of charge, except if doing so would require a disproportionate effort. Because of the way we maintain certain services, after you delete your information, residual copies may take a period of time before they are deleted from our active servers and may remain in our backup systems.
Enforcement
The Toronto Fringe adheres to the applicable privacy laws of the Province of Ontario and Canada.
From time to time, the Toronto Fringe reviews its compliance with this Privacy Policy. When we receive formal written complaints, it is the Toronto Fringe’s policy to contact the complaining user regarding her or his concerns. We will cooperate with the appropriate regulatory authorities, including local data protection authorities, to resolve any complaints regarding the transfer of personal data that cannot be resolved between the Toronto Fringe and an individual.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
Please note that this Privacy Policy may change from time to time. We will post any Privacy Policy changes on this page and, if the changes are significant, we will provide a more prominent notice. We will also keep prior versions of this Privacy Policy in an archive for your review.
Media Policy
2024 Toronto Fringe Festival Media Policy
Updated June 2024
PURPOSE OF MEDIA POLICY
One key goal of the Toronto Fringe is to further the careers of independent theatre artists in Toronto. Another key goal is to support these artists financially, by subsidizing the cost of producing a show in this expensive city and by returning 100% of the net ticket price to them. These twin goals will be supported by a strong and fair media policy that allows artists access to the media who help support their careers, but also places reasonable conditions on the complimentary tickets issued to members of the media.
A SAFER, MORE INCLUSIVE FESTIVAL
We believe that the Toronto Fringe has a responsibility to create a safe and supportive festival for artists, which allows for a dynamic exchange of ideas about their work, while maintaining a clear set of guidelines and procedures regarding media coverage that may be offensive, abusive, or intolerant. The Toronto Fringe works closely with its media partners and colleagues, and has created this policy to clearly articulate our common goals.
ACCREDITATION
Members of the media who have a solid working relationship with the Toronto Fringe and have covered the festival in the past two years will be automatically re-accredited for each festival. The Next Stage Theatre Festival accreditation list is a smaller than the list for the Toronto Fringe Festival, due to the more intimate nature of the festival.
Members of the media wishing to be accredited for the festivals must contact Toronto Fringe Publicist Damien Nelson (she/her) at damien@wantandable.ca with the following information:
• Publication or media outlet they are working for
• The reach of said organization (number of impressions, listeners or viewers)
• Which shows they wish to cover
• Expected publication dates of content such as reviews, previews or other coverage
MEDIA TICKETS
The Toronto Fringe issues all media one complimentary ticket per show in the festival. Media will be assigned a media pass on their Fringe account to book their own tickets through fringetoronto.com OR will be assigned media tickets to specific shows at the discretion of the Toronto Fringe.
The receipt of a media pass versus individual media tickets is commensurate with the reach of the media outlet and the depth of the relationship with the Toronto Fringe. Toronto Fringe’s media partners, for example, are often issued passes while smaller blogs or outlets are issued tickets on a case-by-case basis.
PUBLICATION EXPECTATIONS
Members of the media who are offered complimentary tickets to the festival must publish content regarding the festival in exchange for said complimentary tickets. Publication of this content (previews, reviews, articles, videos, interviews, etc.) should occur before the closing day of the festival to be of most benefit. Independent artists rely on their box office revenue to support themselves, thus complimentary tickets will only be issued in the case that the artist(s) and/or festival as a whole stand to gain exposure.
MEDIA TICKET BLACKOUT PERIODS
The festival will not permit members of the media to book media tickets on the closing weekend of each festival. For the summer Fringe Festival and the Next Stage Theatre Festival, this blackout period extends from the second Friday of the festival until the closing Sunday. Some exceptions may apply. Members of the media wishing to review on closing weekend (Fri – Sun) must get approval from the producing company to do so. Fringe is available to help facilitate these conversations, as needed.
SHOWS MAY OPT-IN OR OPT-OUT OF REVIEWS
The Toronto Fringe also asks each company in the festival whether they wish to be reviewed. If the company opts out, media is asked to not publish reviews of these shows or view these shows for free. If a member of the media wishes to view the show, they are welcome. We ask in that case that the member of the media pays for a ticket for that show. (It will not be considered part of the complimentary pass.) Members of the media will be provided a list of Opted-out shows at the time they receive their passes.
RETRACTION OF ACCREDITATION
Members of the media who do not abide by the Toronto Fringe’s Anti-Harassment, Anti-Violence and Anti-Discrimination Policy may have their accreditation retracted. The Fringe reserves to the right to suspend or immediately revoke accreditation if an infraction occurs. The Fringe reserves the right to request amendatory action by the media member and/or the outlet that they represent. Failure to respond to a written warning from the Executive Director of Toronto Fringe will respond in immediate revocation.